title: Self-rating versus neuropsychological performance of moderate versus severe head-injured patients.
abstract: Head-injured patients frequently appear to be inaccurate in judging their cognitive functioning. To examine this clinical impression, self-ratings were compared with neuropsychological test performances. The sample was comprised of 28 patients with severe and 28 with mild-moderate head injuries, and these two groups were further subdivided according to chronicity, i.e. less than or equal to 1 year versus greater than 1 year between the date of injury and the evaluation. The control group of 31 adults was matched according to age and education. Head-injured patients rated themselves lower than normals regardless of severity of injury. Chronicity affected only the self-rating of learning and memory. The severely head-injured were generally less accurate when comparing self-ratings to test performance. However, this was not uniform across cognitive domains. Recommendations for self-assessment in neuropsychology are discussed.
authors.affiliation: UCSD Head Injury Center 92103.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ruff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012803:Sick Role